Who else likes solar eclipses?

[aadams]

Hi all --

My name is Andrew Adams, I've been doing rocketry for about 10 years and finally decided to get on the rocketry forum! I got my L1 in 2014, L2 in 2019, and finally L3 in 2022. Nowadays I fly most often from FAR or ROC, but I live in the Seattle area and am hoping to fly from OROC & Black Rock this year.

In the near term I'll be posting about Project SAROS, a project to launch rockets into the next 2 US-crossing solar eclipses. I'm also making some videos about it. I'm also particularly interested in rocketry as an educational tool for students, the liquid prop. to aerospace job pipeline, and getting more women & minorities into the hobby.

Nice to meet you all!

~Andrew

For those curious: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaF707Iq5F_0nDeQ0joD7mA

 

[Hobie1dog]

to the forum.

 

[sriegel]

I'm in!

 

[aerostadt]

Start of the Solar Eclipse in 2017 in Idaho.

 

[cls]

Start of the Solar Eclipse in 2017 in Idaho.

I was a few miles west of you, in Seneca, OR. That eclipse blew my mind! Dazzling, amazing, cosmic... Wow.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Took this one near St. Louis in 2017. I live on the totality line for the next one, so all I need is a clear day.

 

[BDB]

I drove to Greenville, SC to see totality in 2017. I, honestly, think it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. I’m hoping to experience it again Vermont next year.

 

[JeffBigg]

I live in north central Ohio, and the 2024 eclipse will almost go directly over my house. For once I won’t have to travel for something cool.

 

[smstachwick]

I'd very much like to see an in-flight camera capture a Black Hole Sun.

 

[BEC]

Took this one near St. Louis in 2017. I live on the totality line for the next one, so all I need is a clear day.

View attachment 570369

Since the 2024 eclipse is April 8th, I'm more than a little worried about that "clear day" bit regardless of where we travel to in order to see it. We didn't have to go all that far for the 2017 eclipse (we went to Madras, Oregon) and after having seen it we must try to see next year's — there are no words to describe the experience.

 

[MAT2000]

I've been fortunate to have been to four total solar eclipses and have viewed 3 1/2. I was clouded out in southern England for one event, but it did get dark, so that counts as 1/2 in my book!

Prominences by PhotoMat2008, on Flickr

 

[Charles Botkin]

I love solar eclipses, have seen four so far and hope it's clear for the 2024 one since it will come right over my house..

 

[Greg Furtman]

I've seen two so far. My first one was in Aruba on February 26 1998 and my second one was in Southern Illinois on August 21, 2017. The only natural events I've experienced that felt truly spiritual. And the difference between a partial and a total is literally the difference between day and night.

 

[Greg Furtman]

Hi all --

My name is Andrew Adams, I've been doing rocketry for about 10 years and finally decided to get on the rocketry forum! I got my L1 in 2014, L2 in 2019, and finally L3 in 2022. Nowadays I fly most often from FAR or ROC, but I live in the Seattle area and am hoping to fly from OROC & Black Rock this year.

In the near term I'll be posting about Project SAROS, a project to launch rockets into the next 2 US-crossing solar eclipses. I'm also making some videos about it. I'm also particularly interested in rocketry as an educational tool for students, the liquid prop. to aerospace job pipeline, and getting more women & minorities into the hobby.

Nice to meet you all!

~Andrew

For those curious: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaF707Iq5F_0nDeQ0joD7mA

Great video and a fun project! Where might you be launching Saros from?

 

[Funkworks]

Well to answer the question: I also like solar eclipses. And my interest was renewed lately when I stumbled accross a few photos that made me realize they also existed on other planets, like Mars:



But this is just what comes to mind now when I think "eclipse". It's mostly of-topic so back to you.

 

[Grog6]

I was in the zone for te 2017 eclipse; I threw a viewing party for my triends on my car forum; I had people from everywere, and we had a blast! I got to use an unattended 8" Dobsonian telescope during totality,(wit the proper solar filter, and got to see a solar flare rise across the limb of the moon, and seeing it in realtime was awe-inspiring!

 

[Kallahan11]

Hey Andrew, I really liked you latest video, you have great engineering principles and gave a fantastic explanation of failure analysis even though it was kind of an embarrassing mistake. It's a great attribute for an engineer to be honest.

Though it did kill me a bit because I knew what happened immediately, from experience.

 

[MAT2000]

I've seen two so far. My first one was in Aruba on February 26 1998 and my second one was in Southern Illinois on August 21, 2017. The only natural events I've experienced that felt truly spiritual. And the difference between a partial and a total is literally the difference between day and night.

View attachment 570478

I was in Aruba on that day too! Not a bad destination for eclipse chasing!

 

[Blast it Tom!]

I took photos in 2017 as well, one of which matched NASA's Space Station transit almost exactly - minus the Space Station transit, of course, and not that pretty orange (using a neutral density 5.0, looks like silver mylar), and of course my camera isn't nearly as good... at least I could match it by the sunspots and lunar limb... Well, I'll get my coat...

I do very much want to be ready for April 8! I'll bet you won't be able to get anywhere near Presque Isle in Erie, PA. But as @BEC said, clouds in the Northeast in April are fairly ubiquitous... say your prayers!

 

[Greg Furtman]

I was in Aruba on that day too! Not a bad destination for eclipse chasing!

Yup! It was really hard to leave northern Wisconsin in February.

 

[LipRipr]

Welcome to the Club!!!



(My Favorite Shot!!!)

 

[Greg Furtman]

I built a large binocular for the 2017 eclipse. I bought two 5" f5 objectives from Surplus Shed and built the binoc around them. I put them on a break-down Dobsonian mount. It was an interesting project! And using both eyes gives one a 3D view. (Yes, I know, astronomical objects are too far away to see in 3D but it is easy to trick the brain.)

Watching the eclipse with that was wonderful. BTW, I named it Wall-E. Also, with Wall-E I can see the entire Veil Nebula in Cygnus.

 

[LipRipr]

I built a large binocular for the 2017 eclipse. I bought two 5" f5 objectives from Surplus Shed and built the binoc around them. I put them on a break-down Dobsonian mount. It was an interesting project! And using both eyes gives one a 3D view. (Yes, I know, astronomical objects are too far away to see in 3D but it is easy to trick the brain.)

Watching the eclipse with that was wonderful. BTW, I named it Wall-E. Also, with Wall-E I can see the entire Veil Nebula in Cygnus.

That is Awesome my Friend!!!!

WOW!!!!


WALL-E!!!!

 

[cls]

I built a large binocular for the 2017 eclipse. I bought two 5" f5 objectives from Surplus Shed and built the binoc around them. I put them on a break-down Dobsonian mount. It was an interesting project! And using both eyes gives one a 3D view. (Yes, I know, astronomical objects are too far away to see in 3D but it is easy to trick the brain.)

Watching the eclipse with that was wonderful. BTW, I named it Wall-E. Also, with Wall-E I can see the entire Veil Nebula in Cygnus.

might be good comet spotting binocs?

 

[BDB]

I built a large binocular for the 2017 eclipse. I bought two 5" f5 objectives from Surplus Shed and built the binoc around them. I put them on a break-down Dobsonian mount. It was an interesting project! And using both eyes gives one a 3D view. (Yes, I know, astronomical objects are too far away to see in 3D but it is easy to trick the brain.)

Watching the eclipse with that was wonderful. BTW, I named it Wall-E. Also, with Wall-E I can see the entire Veil Nebula in Cygnus.

I love it!

And Wall-E might be one of the greatest movies ever made.

 

[aadams]

Since the 2024 eclipse is April 8th, I'm more than a little worried about that "clear day" bit regardless of where we travel to in order to see it. We didn't have to go all that far for the 2017 eclipse (we went to Madras, Oregon) and after having seen it we must try to see next year's — there are no words to describe the experience.

YES this is a really big consideration for the launch site for the total eclipse. I'm chasing down a couple leads (very, very slowly), one in South Texas and one in Indiana. I'm also considering (even though it isn't a rocket) coming up with a small balloon solution as a backup because Part 101 exempt balloons can go above the clouds, and I don't want to go home empty-handed!

~Andrew

 

[jddj]

Andrew, are you on-track for the Annular eclipse (this Saturday, I think...)?

 

[K'Tesh]

I *HATE* Them!!! Every time one comes around, either:

The weather is bad
I'm on the hen's teeth edge of being able to see anything
I'm stuck inside with something I can't get out of (say a phone call, or teaching a class)

or (more often than not)

I'm on the WRONG SIDE OF THE PLANET!!! (This includes the next two that will cross N. America)

OR

ALL OF THE ABOVE!